Steelers' success has come from offense

PITTSBURGH — After consecutive 8-8 seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the playoff hunt again at 7-4 and in a much different form than they and their fans are accustomed: Their offense is their strength, defense not so much.

Advertisement

With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown and halfback Le'Veon Bell among the best players at their positions in the league, the Steelers have an explosiveness on offense that could carry them through the postseason.

But they have been a disappointment, too. They have lost to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets (scoring just 13 points) and barely escaped Jacksonville and Tennessee.

The Steelers are one of four teams in the AFC who are 7-4 and not in first place in their division. That would become five Monday night if the Ravens beat New Orleans, which would tie all three teams behind the 7-3-1 Cincinnati Bengals at 7-4.

The Steelers play at New Orleans on Sunday.

All five of the Steelers' remaining games come against contenders: Cincinnati twice, Kansas City (7-4) and the top two teams in the NFC South, New Orleans and Atlanta, although both of those teams have losing records.

"We wouldn't have it any other way," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "What better way to say we're part of the playoffs than to beat some of these playoff teams' We have a five-game stretch where we want to take care of business and cement ourselves in the playoff picture."

Their most recent game was typical of the Steelers' season. They jumped quickly on top of Tennessee 10-0, then fell behind by 11 points by the start of the fourth quarter before pulling out a 27-24 victory.

"We just have to be consistent," cornerback Ike Taylor said. "We started off hot in that Tennessee game and then came that ebb and flow. We just have to stay consistent. There can't be no ebb and flow. So when we start fast we have to finish fast

"But since I've been here, that's how we play. For some odd reason, man, we always give each other heart attacks on the sideline."

--With LeGarrette Blount gone (cut, then signed with New England) and only two inexperienced rookies behind him at halfback, Bell says he feels no more pressure to perform.

Bell has 252 touches -- 195 runs (951 yards, 2 TDs) and 57 catches, a team record for a halfback (484 yards, 2 TDs). Those opportunities could climb over the next five games.

"I don't really feel pressure," Bell said. "This is what I trained for. I didn't feel fatigued in the game or tired. As long as I continue to work and train as I've been, I'll be fine."

NOTES: CB Ike Taylor (broken right forearm) will be checked by a doctor to see if he is ready to resume full practices and possibly play. … SS Troy Polamalu (hamstring) and LB Ryan Shazier (ankle, MCL) should be ready to return this week.

REPORT CARD AT THE BYE

Advertisement

--PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus -- Ben Roethlisberger ranks fourth in the NFL with both 297.3 yards passing per game and his 105.3 passer rating. He has thrown 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions, and he's also the fourth-most sacked quarterback in the league, with 30. Antonio Brown leads all receivers with 88 receptions, is second with a 105.5-yard average per game and has scored a career-high nine touchdowns.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: B -- Le'Veon Bell leads the AFC with 951 yards rushing and has not fumbled. He also has become a big part of their receiving game, with 57 receptions. His 195 carries lead the AFC and those will probably increase after backup LeGarrette Blount was released last week. They have no experience behind Bell -- two rookies, Dri Archer (eight rushes, 41 yards) and undrafted Josh Harris, signed from their practice squad last week.

--PASS DEFENSE: C -- The Steelers rank 16th in the NFL, allowing 241.6 yards per game, and they still do not generate the kind of pass rush they were once known for; they have 20 sacks, which rank 25th. However, they do have three interception returns for touchdowns, two by cornerback William Gay, and they have been doing it much of the time without five injured starters -- Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor, Ryan Shazier, Steve McLendon and Jarvis Jones.

--RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus -- The Steelers have improved since the start of the season but still are not a good run-stopping team. They rank 23rd, allowing 102.2 yards per game, and 18th at 4.3 per rush. A good running team should have a significant edge here, and the Steelers play the No. 5 (Kansas City), No. 6 (Cincinnati) and No. 7 (New Orleans) NFL rushing teams in four of their final five games.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: C -- Shaun Suisham has made 18 of 20 field goal tries, including a career-long 53-yarder. However, he also missed one from 23 yards in a seven-point loss to the Jets and his holder muffed another by dropping the ball. The Steelers have gotten nothing from their return game, including one-time Pro Bowl return man Antonio Brown, who has a 7.8-yard average with 21 returns and 13 fair catches. They have been lucky to make it to the 20 on kickoff returns, where they average 20 yards. They have allowed one kickoff return for a touchdown and yield nearly a yard more on punt returns (8.1) than they do on their own (7.2).

--COACHING: B-minus -- This is a defense in transition -- with so many vets blown out, young players and many injuries -- so they actually are not doing a bad job on defense. Offense was supposed to be their strength and, to a point, has been, but not to the extent it should be. After two 8-8 seasons, 7-4 isn't bad and Mike Tomlin took a bold step when he released LeGarrette Blount last week after he left their game in Tennessee for the locker room early.